Butadiene is a simple conjugated diene having the formula C4H6. Butadiene can be a raw material in the manufacture of many useful articles, including adhesives, sealants, coatings, hoses, and rubber articles such as automobile tires, and shoe soles. For example, butadiene can be used as a monomer in the production of synthetic rubber. Butadiene can also be used as a raw material for producing certain chemical intermediates such as adiponitrile and chloroprene, which can in turn be used to produce nylon and neoprene.
Butadiene can be found in the hydrocarbon streams produced by certain cracking processes, e.g., steam cracking of naphtha, gas cracking, and catalytic cracking of gas oil and/or vacuum gas oil. Certain methods of manufacturing butadiene are known in the art. For example, Chinese Patent Publication No. CN103304359 discloses a method for producing butadiene from a mixed C4 hydrocarbon stream, which includes the oxidative dehydrogenation of butene in the hydrocarbon stream. Chinese Patent Publication No. discloses a process for the oxidative dehydrogenation of butene to butadiene using a ferrite catalyst. Chinese Patent Publication No. CN103055871 discloses a process for generating butadiene including the oxidative dehydrogenation of butene using a zinc-ferrite catalyst. European Patent Publication No. EP2873458 discloses iron oxide catalysts having another metal component for use in the oxidative dehydrogenation of butene to butadiene. U.S. Pat. No. 8,513,479 discloses certain methods of making and using zinc-ferrite catalysts for an oxidative dehydrogenation reaction.
However, there remains a need for improved techniques for the oxidative dehydrogenation of butene to produce butadiene.